Bunn is a member of the powerful and wealthy family behind ST Bunn Construction, which works on projects statewide and reportedly claims to have paved every street in Tuscaloosa. Former UA student Megan Rondini accused Bunn of rape from a July 2015 encounter at Bunn's home, but she met a wall of resistance from university officials and law enforcement when she sought to bring a case against "Sweet T" Bunn.

Rondini withdrew from UA, newly diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She returned to her hometown of Austin, TX, and eventually enrolled at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas. Missing her UA friends and unhappy at her new school, Rondini filled out an intake form at the SMU mental health center. She never turned in the form and killed herself by hanging on Feb. 26, 2016.

We sought comment from T.J. Bunn Jr. regarding Ashley Madison -- and his attorney, Ivey Gilmore, sent the following statement:

“T.J. Bunn has never been a subscriber to the Ashley Madison website. Examination of the full membership of Ashley Madison subscribers released when the website was hacked shows no mention of T.J. Bunn or his address. If you will share with me the basis for the accusation you are making, we will make a more informed response. But please understand clearly, that I am notifying you that the central accusation of your article is false.”

I sent Mr. Gilmore a copy of the entry for T.J. Bunn Jr. on the AM list for Alabama. Mr. Gilmore replied that his client's statement would remain the same.

The Rondini case came to widespread public attention when BuzzFeed News broke a story on June 22, 2017, titled "How Accusing A Powerful Man of Rape Drove A College Student To Suicide." The sub-title: "When an Alabama college student told the police she was sexually assaulted, she did everything she thought she was supposed to do. She ended up killing herself."

Why has the story generated a mixture of sympathy, disbelief, disgust, and outrage? Maybe it's because Rondini had leveled rape allegations against one of Tuscaloosa's elites -- T.J. "Sweet T" Bunn Jr., part of the family behind ST Bunn Construction. . . . Sonny and Terry Bunn, the brothers who currently run the company, were major donors to former Gov. Robert "Luv Guv" Bentley, and Terry ("Sweet T's" father) served on the Bentley transition team. The Bunns are about as entrenched in Tuscaloosa culture as you can get.

That includes being major boosters of UA's powerhouse Crimson Tide football program:

The booster group in question is the Crimson Tide Foundation, founded and chaired by Paul Bryant Jr., son of the late Hall of Fame coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant. ST Bunn Construction is listed as part of the Crimson Alliance, for donors who have given from $100,000 to $499,999 to UA athletics. The foundation is closely aligned with Bryant Bank, which Bryant Jr. founded. In 2004, the Crimson Tide Foundation reported $34 million in revenue, but since has stopped reporting to the IRS in public documents.

When Megan Rondini had a sexual encounter in July 2015 at T.J. Bunn's mansion -- Bunn claims the sex was consensual -- she unknowingly walked into a swamp of big money, white privilege, secrecy, and entitlement. The BuzzFeed article suggests that the Tuscaloosa Sheriff's Office made only a half-hearted attempt to pursue Rondini's claim. Even a therapist at the University of Alabama said she could not help because she knew the Bunn family.

Finally, we reported that UA's enrollment of out-of-state students has grown so rapidly that it appears Megan Rondini fell through the cracks in a system that is unable -- or unwilling -- to provide basic services and protections for the growing mass of students on campus.

That might be particularly dangerous in a town where the obsession with college football seems to trump all else. That's especially true when you consider the Bunn family's close ties to Paul Bryant Jr., the Godfather of Crimson Tide football. As a member of the board of trustees, Bryant played a major role in UA's massive enrollment growth:

The family of alleged rapist T.J. "Sweet T" Bunn Jr. was among the earliest donors to a fund-raising effort that helped launch a 14-year era of dominance for the Crimson Tide, mostly under Coach Nick Saban. Second, UA football "godfather" Paul Bryant Jr. -- the son of the late Hall of Fame coach, Bear Bryant -- was out front in an effort that led to massive enrollment gains via heavy recruitment of non-resident students, such as Megan Rondini.

In fact, the ties between the Bunn family and Bryant appear close enough to raise this question: Did the Bunns seek Bryant's help -- he holds the state's most famous name, after all -- to help quash a possible criminal case against "Sweet T"?

How close are the Bunns and Bryant? When UA launched in March 2002 a $100-million fund-raising campaign for athletic-facility improvements, chairman of the Crimson Tradition Fund (CTF) was Paul Bryant Jr. Among the original 27 donors who formed the foundation of the CTF were Terry and Sonny Bunn -- the heads of ST Bunn Construction and the father and uncle, respectively, of "Sweet T" Bunn Jr.

According to one account, "Tuscaloosa-area law enforcement officials privately refer to Sweet T as a 'dirt bag' because of his propensity for cruising local bars and clubs in search of young coeds for sexual encounters.

Rondini's parents have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against UA and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office. Among the defendants is investigator Adam Jones, who based on news account, gave Rondini a inaccurate portrayal of Alabama law, apparently to support his finding that she had no rape case against "Sweet T" Bunn.

The Bunn lawyer weaves a slick tall tale. LS reports that "Sweet T" is a paying customer at AM. The lawyer says his client never has been a subscriber. Those might be two different things. A very lawyerly response.

Interesting point. I reported on one thing, and he answered with something else. I guess subscriber has a fairly broad meaning, but I'm not sure you subscribe to AM, as you would subscribe to Time magazine

Link following to DMW's latest. You can bet Watkins has got the goods on Matrix. Haven't read Perkins' comments (the bogus SEC case against Watkins was dismissed in his favor), but sounds very reminiscent of the bias held by John Archibald against Don Siegelman. https://www.facebook.com/donald.v.watkins/posts/10214547329419129

Thanks for sharing link. Just speculation on my part, but I wonder what the end game could be for Matrix. Could people go to prison? (I assume this would be a federal criminal matter.) Could the business be shut down?

Here's a question on a personal level: Have they hacked/attacked other perceived enemies, such as Legal Schnauzer?

That question is not as "out there" as it might seem. Matrix obviously is close to Alabama Power, which is close to Balch Bingham, which employed Jessica Garrison, who filed a bogus defamation lawsuit against me (with assistance from Luther Strange and Bill Baxley).

In one of your recent posts, Jill Simpson stated that her enemies threatened to have her taxes audited. I write the Eliza Battle comments and recently received a notice from RDS/alatax that my taxes were being audited. The notice included literature indicating that the only jurisdiction that could have me audited was Opelika, because I had worked for two days as a subcontractor in Opelika. I paid $50 for a license and $11.20 in occupational taxes. Being curious as to why Opelika would pay an auditor travel pay from Birmingham plus $67 per hour to audit someone who lives in Loachapoka , I called the auditor assigned to my case and asked what criteria triggered an audit of my taxes. The Auditor replied that she did not know why and asked me what taxing jurisdiction I was in. I replied I was in the Lee County jurisdiction but that I was at the Lee County Commission Meeting last night when the contract with RDS/alatax was approved. This Audit can only have been triggered by criteria from Opelika. I reminded the auditor of the Alabama Tax Payer's Bill of Rights and requested the criteria that my audit was based on. I have not received a reply. Relating to Watkin's Facebook Page being hacked; Back in April 2016 , one Sunday morning ,I made a comment on your post about the loss of Keith Baker's phone records during the Bingo trials. Some one added a comment about snakes in Alabama. How did they know I was in Alabama. You commented thanks for stopping by and leaving a digital footprint and then removed the snakes comment. The following Wednesday, two men wearing suits were observed in front of my house checking GPS coordinates. My driveway is a half mile long dead end dirt drive. I suspect the digital footprint from the April 2016 snake comment will lead to the source of your troubles.

Thanks for sharing. All of that is curious, and troubling, too. Do you remember the exact day in April 2016 of the Keith Baker/snake comments. That they knew you were in Alabama, do you think that means someone has hacked my computer (or yours)? I've seen signs for a while that made me wonder if I was hacked, but I haven't been able to trace it to learn for sure -- and I try not to get too paranoid. Now that it appears Matrix might have been behind Watkins' hack, do you think Matrix might be behind these other incidents -- yours, Jill's, and maybe mine. What do you think?

The recent Watkins discoveries make me wonder if Matrix, or someone tied to them, was involved in my arrest, theft of our house, Carol's broken arm, bogus criminal charges against Carol, etc. BTW, what was the purpose of checking GPS coordinates at your house?

What do you think happened with the Watkins deal. Did someone from Matrix get careless and fail to wipe the UBS drive clean? Perhaps Watkins has some good investigative people working for him? Wonder if they could look into some of this other stuff, which might be crimes involving Matrix.

Would be glad to talk via phone sometime if you are comfortable with that. BTW, enjoy your Eliza Battle posts. Your recent one about the Henderson case had a bunch of interesting thoughts, and I probably couldn't figure out some of them.

Megan was sexually adventurous and her texts to her friend CLEARLY SHOWS that the sex was consensual. Bunn may be a scumbag, but Rondini was no angel and ALL the evidence shows this was a consensual encounter. She wasn't drugged or too drunk because she climbed out and back into a second story window! If she was raped, why didn't she RUN after climbing out of the house?

Eliza Battle here The comment was on April 2,2016 at 9:52 am . Your comment was to Nate. The snake comment between our comments was removed. I also wrote the March 28 2016 comment about a wire tap on your phone. My IP address was taken from your computer and they used the GPS coordinates to identify me. Your problems cross state lines which points to the Public Integrity Section of the Justice Dept. The Henderson comment was to bring attention to John Archibald saying Henderson got married Sept 7. His marriage would be Void because the husband had appealed the divorce and the appeal was not decided until Sept 15. About Mike has a plan: There are events going on in Lee county right now that are part of his plan. The Retirement System of Alabama played a part in the events that caused the prosecution of Mike Hubbard. The checkers game on the Eliza Battle will reveal this connection. I truly appreciate you letting me comment on your blog . It is a great pleasure to run with the Big Dog. We will talk after Mike's appeals are over. About the Matrix situation : When you play dirty tricks on people, what goes around - comes around

Wow, that is nuts...and sad to say, not that surprising, based on what goes on in Alabama. It's more than suspicious, and creepy, if men show up at the road leading to your home--after your comments. (I love the Eliza Battle stuff, too)

I hadn't thought of that possibility, but I wouldn't rule it out. She definitely has turned on us -- lying about relevant law, with pretty much every breath, refusing to take steps that obviously need to be taken, treating us like we are too stupid to know what the real law is.

I've been dealing with that kind of crap from lawyers for 17 years, and that Poe would stoop that low (with Carol's freedom on the line) is disgusting.

I long have felt someone from Alabama is orchestrating things up here in Missouri, likely via my lawyer brother. (I know he will stoop low, so nothing is a surprise with him.) I really didn't think of Matrix being involved until I read Donald Watkins' recent posts.

There definitely are some similarities between his experience and mine. Plus, I've been writing about the Rondini-Bunn case, too -- not nearly as much as Watkins, but I guess I've done about a half dozen posts, and a lot of them go to lies law enforcement told Megan R about applicable Alabama law. Interesting that Poe is pulling the same stunt on us now.

Big question about Poe: Is she going rogue on a solo basis, a Lone Ranger, if you will? Or is she taking instructions from her boss in PD office in Springfield, or even the statewide director of the Missouri PD? I'm guessing she is putting her career on the line. Not a smart move.

Thanks for the details. Let me look back on that post and comments. Are you thinking the Public Integrity Section is orchestrating this, or that they need to be alerted about it? You seem to be saying that my computer is, or has been, compromised by someone. I've long suspected that. (You might remember me writing -- I think in comments -- that we were meeting with a lawyer in KC re: Carol's case, and it became clear my brother lawyer knew about it in advance. That certainly made Schnauzer's ears perk up.)

You think infiltration on my computer is DOJ, maybe Matrix, or perhaps they are working together? I assume the Rileys must be involved? Perhaps they have hired Matrix to look into you? I know you might not be able to respond to some of this at moment, but let's keep lines of communications open. Appreciate your comments, today and in the EB series. Always make me think and smile.

Eliza Battle here I do not think i am being targeted. The Public integrity section of the justice Dept. wants you to never never never start digging into the Milton McGregor prosecution. They monitor your computer. The City of Opelika is having RDS/alatax audit my taxes because they lost the Barbasol golf tournament because they never built the promised infrastructure to the Robert Trent Jones Golf course. A legal procedure using a Tax Improvement District evolved into a illegal Tax increment District with people's deeds being altered at the court house. They tried to steal my property . I contacted the Justice Dept in Washington DC. These slick good old boys in Alabama put some hot land off on Campus Crest and VP Biden's good buddy and put a stop to the investigation. The City Manager who "retired "and moved to California admitted to me that the Justice Dept had contacted him . I assume opelika blames me for refusing to be cheated out of my property and are harassing me with the tax audit by RDS/alatax.

Thanks for the background info. Ah, so this involves Campus Crest, too. How interesting. Who is Joe Biden's friend? Is that someone connected to Campus Crest? The Rollins' family has major ties to Delaware -- that and Atlanta are their prime home bases -- and, of course, Delaware is Biden country.

So, the McGregor/bingo prosecution is sensitive subject for the Public Integrity Section (PIN)? You've probably seen where Jill Simpson says Rob Riley and Doug Jones played a major role in bringing that prosecution about. Do you think PIN is trying to cover for Riley and Jones (maybe others)?

Do you think the GPS guys at your house were from PIN or DOJ, in general?

Forgot to mention this: In your comment the other day, you mentioned the Henderson case in Jeffco and noted that it was a political prosecution, designed to prove Matt Hart is corrupt and help overturn the Hubbard convictions. That's a fascinating idea. Are you serious about that, is it based in facts that have come to your attention? I wasn't sure if that was a "flight of fancy" aboard the Eliza Battle or if you have reason to believe that actually drove the case.

I meant Campus Crest and friend as one person -Ted Rollins. Campus Crest/ Rollins did not buy the hot property. They built around it . The good old boys just used him to stop the investigation. The GPS guys were from the DOJ sent to Alabama to clean up the mess Canary created and Beck inherited. You do recall that The Federal prosecutor from Georgia [John Horn] was sent to Alabama in May 2016. I figured that the guys at my house were an advance crew sent by him. Mike Hubbard is taking a great risk by trying to clear his name and protect people who have no loyalty to him. I believe eventually he will abandon the Victoria and rejoin the Eliza Battle. Ever wondered why The Retirement system of Alabama hired Canary and fired Rich . The land thieves had put RSA in a Bind also. There are some events going on in Lee county which involve a Federal Grant ....... Stay tuned to the Eliza Battle

EB here. Do you truly believe Henderson would take on the Riley Crew. That is a flight of fantasy on your part. Big Luther got tricked into going after Henderson. Once Big Luther leaves office , Mike's plan will bear fruit.

I assume it was Team Riley that tricked Luther? Seems Luther has a lot of potential problems hanging out there. I'm guessing Luther and Jessica Garrison were among the major players behind my incarceration and theft of our home -- and maybe the beating of my wife in Missouri, resulting in her broken arm.

EB here . Yes it was team Riley , because if Mike does not get his name cleared soon , He is going to expose the Prosecution of McGregor to clear his [mike] name and the Judge in the Siegelman lawsuit will give Siegelman what he needs to clear his name. People are beginning to abandon the Canarys. Time is running out.

If Hubbard were to expose the McGregor prosecution, would that mean throwing Rob and Bob Riley, Canary, Doug Jones, maybe others under the bus? I'm guessing you have some thoughts on why the judge is delaying on turning over documents in Siegelman FOIA case? Did Alabama Power distance itself from Canary for reasons connected to bingo case?

I think you are right -- I probably have no idea how big this is and what nerves I'm striking. Carol and I have been feeling the blow back for years, but I doubt we know exactly why. If you are able and willing to shine light on it at some point, please let me know. Would be willing to talk via phone and consider whatever conditions you might need to protect yourself.

"Anonymous said...You have good a reason to dislike Fred Yancey, but the Yancey family is not your enemy. They can go thru doors that you can not enter. Keith Baker did not leave the Bingo Trial by force. During discovery, he learned that he had been tricked into investigating McGregor, by the land thieves in Auburn. He wanted no part of what was to follow. Mike Hubbard does not fear a trial in lee county. He only needs one juror to win. He also has a spare parachute. Keith Baker is one of Big Luther’s agents assigned to the case. Some of the Yancey clan, Keith Baker and Todd Brown (Big Mac’s son-in-law used to play touch football). You can look for, one of the above, to be the Fed’s star witness against Riley.—March 24, 2016 at 6:23 PM

---------------@ 11:25 You need some cliffsnotes to catch up with the class.The Victoria and Camperdown were 19th century British warships. Due to a stupid mistake, the Camperdown struck the Victoria and the Victoria sank. History repeats itself.2016: The Camperdown, with Robert “Tom Cat” Bentley on board has made a stupid mistake, which will bring the Feds into Alabama. That will cause the Victoria, with Riley on board to sink. I am still searching for the article where Hubbard said something similar to “and the on going corruption”. He tried to bring down the Riley Machine. He underestimated his task. That is why his ship is a side wheel paddle cargo/passenger ship from Alabama.(Eliza Battle) Thinks look bleak for Hubbard and Bentley, but do not count them out yet. The Joker in the deck (Keith Baker) will have to make a decision soon. In this game Jokers are wild. As a teenager, I read seventeen magazine to see what the girls were thinking. Same thing in Alabama politics. Read Bill Britt to see what Matt Hart is thinking. Read Charles Dean to see what Bentley is thinking. Read Ricky Stokes To see what the wiregrass area is thinking. Read OA news to see what Hubbard is thinking. Read josh Moon to see what the Montgomery fraction is thinking. John Archibald has good articles when they let him off the chain to exercise, but they will not let him hunt. Roger pulls the data you need from these reporters and allows you determine what you see.The next act of this play will be Keith Baker.April 2, 2016 at 9:52 AM

----------------------Anonymous said...Roger! Two things. I used your blog to get my story of the Auburn land thieves public.A Lee County Commissioner told me they were going to take my property like they do in Shelby County, using the zoning law, (Power to pursue economy through goverment expenditure) I read the snake comment. I am slowly being poisoned ....so be it. The land thieves have underestimated my resolve.I grew up on a dairy farm some one else owned, with four brothers. A military recuiter came to our high school and said they needed men to stop the communist before they reached our shore. He said if you had two cows, the communist would take one and give it to some one else. Three of my brothers and I joined the military to fight the communist. Three of us went to Vietnam (over a period of 5 years) and one went to Korea. Do the land thieves not see that I would attack hell with a bucket of water to protect my own cow.Number 2. Some one in the Siegelman family has a deep inner faith. The property I live on is guarded by the ghost of a Civil War doctor. When I was at the courthouse searching documents to prove the land thieves, I would also search why and what the ghost was guarding. One night, while lying in bed, I said to myself “The ghost is going to show me the light” My reading light came on at that instant. From that night on information fell into my hands. I discovered the ghost was protecting the civil war era graveyard next door. I have never found the doctor or his wife’s graves in Auburn, even though his descendants say he is buried in Auburn. In july 2009 a land thief destroyed the grave yard, All the markers are gone and RV’s for football fans are on the graves. The Yancey’s slaves wre (sic) buried there. John and Thomas were boys under ten years old. Eliza and Bob were elderly. Mary died during child birth. The Yanceys and the Doctor are haunting the thieves. Whenever the Doctor is around, you will hear a knocking noise. Last week, while talking to a neighbor, he said there is some one in that clearing banging with a hammer. We looked but could find no one. The next morning I was walking my hound dog before sun up. A light about 6 inches high and two feet long with no defined borders passed in front of me and moved at the speed of a fast walk. It was visible for 15 seconds. Later I wrote the articles about the bingo trial transcripts. I felt someones (sic) inner strength telling me what to look for in the articles.April 3, 2016 at 4:34 AM

Lets see here! Roger writes several posts at the end of July 2015 about the Bingo Trials. IN August 2015 Roger's landlord begins the eviction process. In Sept 2015 Roger jumps out of his chair to protect his wife from an assault and is shot dead by the cops. In 20016 Roger's brother is convicted of murder. At his trial, the Judge will not allow evidence that some one had poisoned his brother's mind by telling him that his mother was going to leave her estate to the neediest son. Roger's brother only wanted him out of town.

Also, I wrote a couple of bingo-related posts near the end of June 2015, and we got a Notice to Vacate from our landlord on July 2, 2015, even though our rent always had been timely paid and we were excellent tenants.